'Big Beautiful Bill' includes removal of 1.4 million illegal immigrants from Medicaid: GOP senator

The Big Beautiful Bill, as amended and if passed into law, would drop 1.4 million illegal immigrants from Medicaid services, according to GOP Senator Eric Schmitt. The proposal was highlighted by the senator on Tuesday after the bill passed in the Senate.

In a post on X, Schmitt wrote, "The Big Beautiful Bill kicks 1.4 MILLION illegal immigrants off Medicaid. For too long, Americans have been paying for the welfare of people who shouldn't even be in our country. Today, the Senate voted to end that. And yes—this DID make it into the final draft of the bill."

He went on to say that there were a lot of "rumors" that the portion of the bill had been stripped from the bill along with other Medicaid reforms, however, he said it was still in the bill. In the text of the bill, on section 71109, the bill states, "In no event shall payment be made to a State under this section for medical assistance furnished to an individual unless such individual is" a resident of the United States or is a citizen of an "alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence" as well as for other legally admitted immigrants.

Schmitt went on to explain how the rumor started in the first place, "Here's where the rumor came from: During yesterday's vote-a-rama, an amendment banning Medicaid for illegal immigrants was voted down. The clip of that vote started circulating online—and folks took that to mean that the provision had been stripped from the bill altogether."

"But that was just one of many 'messaging amendments,' designed to force Democrats to vote against specific provisions—in this case, a ban on some Medicaid funding for illegal aliens who commit heinous crimes—on the record. It was meant to show the public how radical they are," he added.

The senator went on to explain that the provision was already in the bill, and did not have to be amended in. The bill also requires that states verify citizenship status for those who are enrolled in Medicaid, as well as other provisions, he wrote. 

"We're not talking about a few bucks here and there. This could cost blue states tens of billions of dollars. A lot of these states have serious budget problems already. They're going to have to choose between their addiction to mass migration and averting financial collapse," Schmitt added. "That means blue states are left with a choice: Either send your illegal immigrants home, or you're going to be paying their bills yourself. It's easy when you're doing it on the American taxpayer's dime. It's a lot tougher when it's all coming from your own constituents."

The “Big Beautiful Bill” passed through the Senate on Tuesday with a vote of 51 to 50 with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. Three GOP senators voted against it, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).